Epitaxial lift off (ELO) is typically performed on device assemblies to separate a substrate from a device by etching a release layer disposed between the substrate and the device. Conventional systems perform ELO by supplying an array of substrates and devices attached to a carrier film into an etch tank. Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is used to etch the release layer to separate the substrates from the devices. After the etching is complete, the devices attached to the carrier film are removed from the etch tank for further processing and to enable etching of the next batch of devices and substrates.
Although conventional systems can be used to perform ELO, the number of device assemblies that can be etched simultaneously using conventional systems is limited by the footprint or size of the etch tank. Thus, the yield of etched device assemblies using conventional systems is relatively low.
Additionally, the cost of the etch tanks and associated hardware is proportional to the size of the etch tanks. Therefore, even if a conventional system were sized to supply an acceptable yield, the size and cost of that system would be prohibitively high.